These are the minutes of the 6th meeting of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Study Group on the Future Direction of Digital Textbooks, of which I am a member. I made the
following three comments.
https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/shotou/157/gijiroku/1421924_00007.html

Regarding “1. Advantages of Digital Textbooks for Learners”: While I have no objections
to the content discussed, I believe we have moved beyond the phase of debating the advantages of digital technology and have reached a point where the education sector should recognize it as a naturally necessary tool to be adopted.

Regarding “2. The Division of Roles Between Digital Textbooks for Learners and Digital Educational Materials,” concerning the approach to the certification of digital textbooks for learners mentioned in
(1), it states that “there is no change in the fact that a certification system is necessary.” However, given the significant changes taking place in society, I believe it is necessary to reconsider this premise.While ensuring quality is important, isn’t it time to reconsider whether the current certification system is the appropriate method for doing so?
For the revisions in Reiwa 6, I believe it would be advisable to classify digital textbooks as “textbooks for school subjects” under the law, make them eligible for free distribution, and further, review the aforementioned approach to certification by the time of the next revision. In this regard, I believe it is important to calculate the associated costs and secure budgetary provisions.

Regarding “3. Standards Limiting the Use of Digital Textbooks for Learners to Less Than Half of the Total Class Hours for Each Subject”: Just as attention is focused on the
establishment of the Digital Agency, and as society as a whole is moving toward accelerating digital adoption and promoting digital transformation, shouldn’t our priority now be on how to maximize their effective use?
At a previous meeting, when I asked about the rationale for introducing the one-half standard, I was told, “Although there is no quantitative evidence, we introduced it cautiously amid widespread concerns about health,” and “We struck an institutional balance regarding digital utilization.” However, given the changes in the situation since then, I believe that if there is no clear basis for the standard, it should be promptly abolished.I do not believe there are any particular points to note. Even if there were, I believe we should exercise restraint in imposing restrictions through blanket regulations. Rather, I believe we should discuss measures to promote adoption, such as widely sharing best practices for utilizing high-quality digital textbooks.